Colgate donates $100K to Stop Diabetes campaign

Colgate Total is donating $100,000 to the American Diabetes Association to support Stop Diabetes, a movement created to help educate and increase awareness of the link between oral health and diabetes. “People living with diabetes are at an increased risk for developing periodontal disease because they are generally more susceptible to bacterial infection, and have a decreased ability to fight bacteria that invade the gums,” stated Maria Emanuel Ryan, DDS,

AAP names new president, president-elect

Pamela McClain, DDS, of Aurora, CO, has been named the next president of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Board of Trustees. The announcement came during AAP’s annual meeting, held November 12-15, in Miami. Dr. McClain maintains a full-time private periodontal practice in Aurora and serves as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Dentistry. She began her career as a dental hygienist, and continues to

Mouthwash eliminates caries-causing bacteria

A mouthwash developed by a microbiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry has been shown to be highly successful in targeting the Streptococcus mutans bacteria, the principal cause of tooth decay and caries. In a clinical study, 12 subjects who rinsed just one time with the experimental mouthwash experienced a nearly complete elimination of the S. mutans bacteria over the entire four-day testing period (Caries Research,

Jaw tilting can improve postimplant CBCT images

Adjusting the angle of the mandible during postimplant imaging using cone-beam CT (CBCT) can reduce the exposure time and related dose by a factor of four without decreasing the image quality, according to a new study in the European Journal of Radiology (December 2011, Vol. 80:3, pp. e389-e393). Dental implants have been a driving force in the adoption of cone-beam CT in dentistry, given the advantages CBCT brings to dental

Researchers ID virus that causes salivary gland cancer

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been confirmed as a cause of the most common salivary gland cancers (Experimental and Molecular Pathology, November 10, 2011). CMV joins a group of fewer than 10 identified oncoviruses — cancer-causing viruses — including HPV. The findings are the latest in a series of studies by researchers from the Laboratory for Developmental Genetics at the University of Southern California (USC) that together demonstrate CMV’s role as an

U.S. healthcare groups push water fluoridation campaign

In response to what some say is a growing body of “misinformation” from antifluoride activists, three national healthcare organizations on Tuesday launched the Campaign for Dental Health, designed to educate the public about oral health and the need for U.S. states and communities to invest in water fluoridation and other forms of prevention. Voices for America’s Children, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign are among

Mass. town says ‘no’ to fluoridation

Voters in Amesbury, MA, have turned down the option to resume fluoridating the town’s water supply. The town had been adding sodium fluoride to its water since 1967, but stopped in 2009, citing concerns that 40% of the material from new Chinese suppliers was not dissolving, according to a story in the Newburyport News. The town’s water system is being retrofitted to avoid clogs, and officials have sought a more

Chemoradiation aids laryngeal cancer patients

Chemoradiation for patients with stage-four (T4) laryngeal cancer appears to be an effective and reasonable treatment option, according to a study in Head & Neck (November 3, 2011). Patients with T4 laryngeal cancers, including those with large-volume lesions, are often excluded from organ preservation trials due to expectations of inferior survival and function outcomes, noted the study authors, from the University of Chicago and Duke University Medical Center. To determine

Prophies help reduce risk of heart attack, stroke

Professional tooth scaling appears to reduce inflammation-causing bacterial growth that can lead to heart disease or stroke, according to a study to be presented November 15 at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions 2011 in Orlando, FL. In the study, which was conducted by researchers from Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, and included more than 100,000 people, those who had their teeth cleaned and scaled by a dentist

DentalPlans.com matches donations to Save 7 Smiles

DentalPlans.com will join Operation Smile to host a social media fundraising campaign called Save 7 Smiles in 7 Days. Beginning November 14, DentalPlans.com will match donations made by its Facebook fans and Twitter followers for a week, the company announced. In addition, DentalPlans.com and Dentist.net will give away Crest whitening strips to one random donor every day. Children’s medical charity Operation Smile provides free reconstructive surgery for children born with

Australian dentists engaged in Botox ‘turf war’

Dentists in Australia are providing their patients Botox injections and lip enhancements for cosmetic purposes despite regulations limiting the procedures only to dental problems. Myles Holt, BDS, who heads the Australian Academy of Dento-Facial Aesthetics, told the Sydney Morning Herald that he has trained more than 150 Australian and New Zealand dentists to inject Botox and dermal fillers into a patient’s lips, cheeks, forehead, and gums. Under rules set by

Ore. town debates water fluoridation proposal

A town in Oregon is reconsidering its decision earlier this year to discontinue fluoridating its public water supply. In May, the Philomath City Council voted to remove fluoride from the community’s drinking water after three decades of fluoridation. But proponents have been lobbying to restore fluoride to the city’s water supply and are a step closer following a hearing to discuss the language of a proposed ballot measure that would